Free Tours Of The Biltmore Hotel In Miami

Imagine walking under barrel-vaulted ceilings, passing through marble columns, or gazing at hand-painted frescoes. If you think you’re somewhere on the Mediterranean, think again. You’re in Miami at the iconic Biltmore Hotel.

Just a short drive southwest of downtown Miami is the city of Coral Gables, known as “The City Beautiful.” This city is renowned for its aesthetic charm and beauty. And in this city is the Biltmore Hotel, a National Historic Landmark.

History Of The Biltmore Hotel

In 1925, George Merrick set off to create a hotel for the people of Coral Gables; a luxury hotel that would also serve as “a center of sports and fashion.” Merrick teamed up with John Bowman, the Biltmore hotel mogul, and together they contracted Leonard Schultze and S. Fullerton Weaver. This pair had already been responsible for the Atlanta and Los Angeles Biltmore’s, New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, and the Miami Daily News Tower (also known as Freedom Tower).

The main lobby

Chandelier in the main lobby

Chandelier in the Granada ballroom

The Biltmore’s grand opening was on January 15, 1926. In less than 1 year, the 400+ room hotel had been built, along with a country club, golf course, and enormous swimming pool (the largest hotel pool in the continental US). Many athletes, musicians, movie stars, politicians, and even gangsters frequently stayed at the Biltmore to enjoy fashion shows, galas, and aquatic shows. People such as: Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Johnny Weissmuller, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Al Capone.

That all changed with the start of World War II, however. The hotel was seized by the government and converted into a military hospital. The beautiful ceilings were covered, the windows were sealed, and the floors were overlaid with linoleum. Even after the war was over, it remained a hospital for veterans until 1968. Although the city of Coral Gables was eventually able to get the property back, the building remained empty for almost a decade. In fact, it was almost torn down! Then in 1983, restoration began. It took nearly 4 years and $55 million to return the Biltmore to its former glory. Everything now is as it once was, with only slight modifications.

Perhaps this gargoyle helped guard the hotel from demolition?

Free Tours Of The Biltmore Hotel

For those that would like to see the magnificent hotel and learn more about it, free tours of the Biltmore Hotel are given every Sunday at 1:30pm and 2:30pm. The tour starts in front of the concierge desk in the main lobby, lasts approximately one hour, and is given by a volunteer of the Dade Heritage Trust, an organization whose mission is to preserve Miami’s culture. When we visited the Biltmore, Judy was giving the tour. She has been giving these tours for years, simply because she loves to do it.

The terrace

As we walked around the property, Judy gave us insight into George Merrick’s world upon his arrival to desolate South Florida. We learned about his family and the history of Coral Gables. We hadn’t realized that Merrick had named the city streets after names he’d read in Spanish books. We also learned interesting tidbits about the hotel itself. For example, the inspiration for the design of the hotel had been the Giralda bell tower from the cathedral in Seville, Spain. We also learned that the carpet in the Alhambra ballroom was created to match the ceiling. And since some of the original decorative tiles can no longer be manufactured if they are damaged, they’ve had an artist come and hand-paint new ones.

A view of the back of the Biltmore

Chandelier and ceiling of the Alhambra ballroom

Matching carpet

Repaired tiles

After The Tour

Once the tour was over, we continued to walk around the hotel. We could not get enough of the Mediterranean style and felt like we could have spent hours photographing every small detail. We loved that there was so much history there. As we walked around the main and lower lobbies, we stopped to look at old photographs and read their descriptions.

Important women at the ground breaking of the hotel, including Mrs. Merrick in the center

An old map of the area

Biltmore Hotel Final Thoughts

Most people have a misconception of Miami and we want to reiterate that there is so much more to the city than beaches and booze. There is culture and there are endless stories of men and women who have persevered against strong odds to build what has become one of the most important cities in the world. So if you’re traveling to Miami, or even if you’re a local, we would highly recommend visiting and taking advantage of the free tours of the Biltmore Hotel. We guarantee you’ll leave as captivated and mesmerized as we were.

20 Comments

Whoa! Some seriously stunning pics, Vicky! I had forgotten how amazing the Biltmore is. And how cool they have free tour days. Now I want to go back! I’m dragging you with me to do a girl’s brunch there when I return to MIA 🙂 Love the post!
G.

That is awesome. I didn’t know they gave free tours. Such a beautiful hotel. It always seems like these beautiful places just sit and become run down and then finally someone decides to restore it to is former glory and then some.

Wow, this place is stunning! Those chandeliers are breathtaking! I’ve added this to my list of places I MUST see, as I’m always obsessed with historical architecture! Thanks for sharing this gorgeous place!

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Hi! I'm Vicky, a South Florida-based blogger traveling around the world with my stuffed monkey Buddy. Tired of the 9-5, we recently sold all of our stuff and started traveling full time. Click on the photo to learn more!